Provost Announces New Director of University of Missouri Press

September 27th, 2013

COLUMBIA, Mo. ­— University of Missouri Provost Brian Foster announced today that David Rosenbaum, director of product development and project management for the American Heart Association, has been named director of the University of Missouri Press effective Nov. 1.

“We all know that scholarly communication is in a state of extreme volatility, changing at every level,” Foster said. “David brings to Mizzou a very aggressive, out-of-the-box perspective that will be very important in making the press successful in the current publishing environment. He has some compelling ideas of how to create a more visible presence for the Press in the world of scholarly publishing.”

Prior to Rosenbaum’s appointment at the American Heart Association, where he has managed the domestic and international publishing branches of the association, he served as senior acquisitions editor at Elsevier, senior acquisitions editor at Delmar Cengage Learning, and senior publisher and production manager at the Iowa State Press. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of South Alabama.

“David’s experience goes beyond scholarly publishing, as he has been successful in commercial and not-for-profit publishing arenas as well,” Foster said. “It is this diverse background that feeds his unique perspective. We’re very excited to have him on board.”

“I’ve very optimistic about the University of Missouri Press and this opportunity,” Rosenbaum said. “When I was on campus, I was gratified to hear the tremendous amount of support that faculty and staff had for the Press. I’m convinced that the university will support the press as long as the press is committed to making improvements to help itself financially. If the University of Missouri Press can make it — and I’m convinced that it will — we will have learned lessons that can apply to other scholarly presses throughout the country.”

Rosenbaum has more than 15 years of experience in the publishing industry and also is an author, having written three books that focus on Islam, public policy and media in the U.S. He has experience acquiring manuscripts, negotiating publishing contracts with authors, and managing manuscript production and manufacture.

“The University of Missouri Press has overcome a unique challenge,” Rosenbaum said. “I see this as an opportunity to become a premier scholarly publisher while actively supporting the university’s mission.”